Homing in on housing

Robert Z. Nemeth

Sunday

Mar 30, 2008 at 12:24 AM

After many years of dire neglect, homelessness has suddenly become the center of attraction. At least three current initiatives aim to place homeless individuals and families in permanent housing. Two programs focus on Worcester and its regions, and the third is statewide. All three recommend the relatively new “housing first” concept. The Home Again program, sponsored by The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts and managed by Community Healthlink, is the most promising.

The City Manager’s Task Force on Homelessness plan, submitted in November, is the most ambitious: It proposes to end homelessness in Worcester in three years — a goal that hardly seems attainable, considering that none of the recommendations has been implemented yet. The 18-member panel is co-chaired by Jordan Levy and William J. Mulford, a former mayor and a former city manager.

Rejecting the ineffective “continuum of care” model, the task force recommends the relatively new housing first approach. It means that rather than gradually moving homeless individuals and families from the street to shelter to transitional units then to permanent housing, they are placed in permanent housing, followed by the necessary support services to stabilize them in their new environment. The report advocates eliminating all temporary shelters, including the controversial PIP on South Main, within three years, and to develop hundreds of new units.

Other recommendations include assessment and triage services, prevention strategies and resources, scattering programs throughout Worcester County, and a larger role for the business and college community in fighting homelessness. There is emphasis on the chronically homeless — people who have been without a home for more than a year or had four or more episodes of homelessness in the past three years. The report places the responsibility for oversight, coordination and accountability on the city and recommends a permanent Commission on Homelessness to ensure implementation. Estimated initial, one-time cost is $4.5 million, with an annual cost of $4.4 million for three years.

The Special Commission Relative to Ending Homelessness in the Commonwealth issued its report in December. Acknowledging that current efforts by the Department of Transitional Assistance, which costs about $120 million a year, have been insufficient, the commission proposes drastic reorganization of the system, “targeting the right resources to the right people at the right time.” It advocates transformation from a shelter-based structure to permanent housing, with emphasis on uniform assessment of needs, coordination of resources and an early-warning system to prevent homelessness. The five-year plan entails establishing 1,000 single-person occupancy units (200 a year) and 800 new units for families. It pegs the initial investment at $10 million. Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray has the task of overseeing this massive endeavor.

Home Again, unveiled in January, is the most promising of the three plans because it is sharply focused, comes with resources and has already begun implementation. It targets chronically homeless single adults only. “Homelessness is a health issue, and only a home can end homelessness,” Janice B. Yost, president of the Health Foundation, said. The organization has provided $567, 655 to start the program, in addition to $500,000 for low-interest loans to create new housing units. “This is for an 18-month trial period, and we intend to do more,” she explained. “We expect to eradicate chronic homelessness among single adults in four years.”

The number of such individuals is currently estimated at 126. The goal is to house 30 people a year (20 chronically homeless and 10 at-risk persons) for four years in 54 units the program acquires and operates — with the Health Foundation paying for in-house services — and placing individuals in 66 rental units subsidized either through a federal HUD grant or a locally established housing loan fund that is expected to reach $3 million.

Tenants will be asked to contribute 30 percent of any income they may have. The units will be both clustered and scattered. “Over the life of the program we expect to house between 30 and 40 percent of tenants outside of Worcester,” Deborah Ekstrom, CEO of Community Healthlink, explained. Praising Home Again, Mr. Murray said, “Targeting the chronically homeless and ensuring they have access to support services is a proven approach that we are committed to replicating.”

The first cluster of tenants will be in the Spencer House, a three-story stucco dwelling on Elm Street named after fire Lt. Thomas E. Spencer, who died in the 1999 warehouse fire caused by homeless people. “We’ve already screened and admitted five individuals and they’ll move in this month,” Ms. Ekstrom said. “More will follow. In all, Spencer House will house 14 people.”

Ms. Yost said people often harbor a misconception about homelessness, assuming that the homeless are addicts, misfits or criminals who are too lazy to fend for themselves. Yet unexpected loss of employment, illness, chronic disability, domestic violence and generations of poverty can contribute to the situation. With meaningful assistance, many of the homeless can start a new life and find their way to self-sufficiency.

While Home Again was the first to get off the starting block, the other two programs have been making progress as well. All homelessness might not be eradicated entirely any time soon, but if city, state and private sources collaborate successfully, as they should, it could be eased considerably.

Robert Z. Nemeth’s column appears regularly in the Sunday Telegram.

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